Read this sentence: "The tall boy runs very fast."
Can you tell who the sentence is about? It is about the tall boy. This is called the subject.
Now, what does the tall boy do? He runs very fast. This is called the predicate.
Every complete sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. Without either part, the sentence is incomplete.
The subject is the naming part of a sentence. It tells us who or what the sentence is about.
The subject can be a single word or a group of words.
Rani plays the sitar. (Who plays? Rani.)
The old banyan tree gives us shade. (What gives shade? The old banyan tree.)
My grandmother tells wonderful stories. (Who tells stories? My grandmother.)
The Ganga flows through many states. (What flows? The Ganga.)
The predicate is the telling part of a sentence. It tells us what the subject does, what the subject is, or what happens to the subject.
The predicate always contains the verb and everything that follows it.
Rani plays the sitar. (What does Rani do? Plays the sitar.)
The old banyan tree gives us shade. (What does it do? Gives us shade.)
My grandmother tells wonderful stories. (What does she do? Tells wonderful stories.)
The Ganga flows through many states. (What does it do? Flows through many states.)
Let us look at more sentences and separate them into subject and predicate:
| Sentence | Subject (Naming Part) | Predicate (Telling Part) |
|---|---|---|
| The children played in the park. | The children | played in the park |
| Our teacher speaks softly. | Our teacher | speaks softly |
| The peacock danced in the rain. | The peacock | danced in the rain |
| Amit and Priya are best friends. | Amit and Priya | are best friends |
| The train from Delhi arrived late. | The train from Delhi | arrived late |
| A group of monkeys sat on the wall. | A group of monkeys | sat on the wall |
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject | The naming part of a sentence; tells who or what the sentence is about. |
| Predicate | The telling part of a sentence; tells what the subject does or is. |
| Verb | An action word; the predicate always contains a verb. |
| Complete Sentence | A sentence that has both a subject and a predicate. |
Match a subject from Column A with a predicate from Column B to make complete sentences. Write the full sentences on the lines below.
| Column A (Subject) | Column B (Predicate) |
|---|---|
| The kind doctor | shines brightly in the sky. |
| My pet parrot | helped the sick child. |
| The sun | runs through the forest. |
| A wild deer | talks in a funny voice. |
Now write two sentences of your own. Draw a line ( | ) between the subject and predicate.
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Read this sentence: "The tall boy runs very fast."
Can you tell who the sentence is about? It is about the tall boy. This is called the subject.
Now, what does the tall boy do? He runs very fast. This is called the predicate.
Every complete sentence must have both a subject and a predicate. Without either part, the sentence is incomplete.
The subject is the naming part of a sentence. It tells us who or what the sentence is about.
The subject can be a single word or a group of words.
Rani plays the sitar. (Who plays? Rani.)
The old banyan tree gives us shade. (What gives shade? The old banyan tree.)
My grandmother tells wonderful stories. (Who tells stories? My grandmother.)
The Ganga flows through many states. (What flows? The Ganga.)
Think about it: To find the subject, ask "Who?" or "What?" before the verb. The answer is the subject.
The predicate is the telling part of a sentence. It tells us what the subject does, what the subject is, or what happens to the subject.
The predicate always contains the verb and everything that follows it.
Rani plays the sitar. (What does Rani do? Plays the sitar.)
The old banyan tree gives us shade. (What does it do? Gives us shade.)
My grandmother tells wonderful stories. (What does she do? Tells wonderful stories.)
The Ganga flows through many states. (What does it do? Flows through many states.)
Think about it: Once you find the subject, everything else in the sentence is the predicate.
Let us look at more sentences and separate them into subject and predicate:
| Sentence | Subject (Naming Part) | Predicate (Telling Part) |
|---|---|---|
| The children played in the park. | The children | played in the park |
| Our teacher speaks softly. | Our teacher | speaks softly |
| The peacock danced in the rain. | The peacock | danced in the rain |
| Amit and Priya are best friends. | Amit and Priya | are best friends |
| The train from Delhi arrived late. | The train from Delhi | arrived late |
| A group of monkeys sat on the wall. | A group of monkeys | sat on the wall |
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject | The naming part of a sentence; tells who or what the sentence is about. |
| Predicate | The telling part of a sentence; tells what the subject does or is. |
| Verb | An action word; the predicate always contains a verb. |
| Complete Sentence | A sentence that has both a subject and a predicate. |
A. Underline the Subject in Each Sentence
B. Underline the Predicate in Each Sentence
C. Separate the Subject and Predicate
Write the subject and predicate of each sentence on the lines given.
D. Multiple Choice Questions
E. Add a Subject or Predicate to Complete the Sentence
Match a subject from Column A with a predicate from Column B to make complete sentences. Write the full sentences on the lines below.
| Column A (Subject) | Column B (Predicate) |
|---|---|
| The kind doctor | shines brightly in the sky. |
| My pet parrot | helped the sick child. |
| The sun | runs through the forest. |
| A wild deer | talks in a funny voice. |
Now write two sentences of your own. Draw a line ( | ) between the subject and predicate.